BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning nozzle used in automatic cleaning of
inside of particulate material manufacturing equipment, tanks, chutes or the like
in high temperature water or other fluid.
[0002] Hitherto, various cleaning nozzles of this sort have been known, for example, the
cleaning nozzle for rotating a rotary element assembled in a cylinder by the fluid
flow flowing in the cylinder connected to a cleaning fluid feed pipe, and injecting
the cleaning fluid from an injection pipe while swiveling the injection pipe through
a reduction gear train by rotation of this rotary element, the cleaning nozzle for
injecting the cleaning fluid from the injection pipe while forcing to swivel the injection
pipe assembled in the lower part of the cylinder, by driving motor mounted on the
upper part of the cylinder, through a drive shaft penetrating through the inside of
the cylinder, and the cleaning nozzle for rotatably disposing the injection pipe arranged
on the circumference centered around the axial center of the cylinder, and rotating
the injection pipe around the axial center of the cylinder by the reaction force of
the jet flow injected from the injection pipe.
[0003] In these conventional cleaning nozzle, the mechanism is complicated or increase in
size by the reduction gear train, and compressed air and electric power are required
aside from the cleaning fluid. Above all, the greatest demerit of the conventional
cleaning nozzles is that the nozzle main body is clogged with the particulate material
when treating the particulate material inside the particulate manufacturing equipment,
tank or chute because it is installed in the projected state inside the particulate
manufacturing equipment, tank or chute, possibly resulting in inability of rotation
mechanically, inability of cleaning when cleaning, inability of stable operation of
the equipment due to closure or sticking phenomenon of particulate material by the
cleaning nozzle, or decrease of production capacity or lowering of product quality
as the case may be. Accordingly, in the general conventional method of cleaning the
inside of the particulate manufacturing equipment, tank, chute or the like, opening
the cleaning port by hand, the conventional cleaning nozzle or hose was put in to
dean the inside, or otherwise the equipment was forced to be disassembled into individual
components to be cleaned by hand. Therefore, when cleaning many parts or cleaning
hardly accessible places, it took much labor and time, accompanied by danger, and
also raised the cleaning cost and caused fluctuations in the cleaning effect and cleaning
quality. Furthermore, human errors were likely to be induced, and especially in manufacturing
facilities of pharmaceuticals, foods and the like, it is difficult to minimize the
contamination and quality changes of pharmaceuticals, foods and others. To prevent
them, in each manufacturing line unit, and in each machine, or also in each manufacture
if necessary, it may be considered to control sequentially by programming the cleaning
cycle [for example, 1. primary washing in tap water (cleaning with detergent, 2. finish
washing by deionized water or distilled water, 3. drying by hot air], and cleaning
conditions [for example, 1. washing pressure, 2. washing temperature, 3. washing speed,
4. hot air temperature, 5. washing time or water volume, 6. hot air drying time, etc.].
There has been, however, hindrance to full automation of cleaning system that can
save the cleaning fluid, use in the night time, enable unmanned operation, and contribute
greatly to enhancement of labor-saving and productivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is hence a primary object of the invention to present means for solving the above
problems noted in these conventional nozzles. In order to achieve this object, the
invention presents a cleaning nozzle comprises a cylinder tube in an intemal tubular
form, having a piston slidably inserted inside, and a piping opening for connection
of cleaning water feed pipe provided at the rear end thereof, and also having a rod
cover possessing an internal stopper for defining the forward position of the piston
inserted and fixed inside the front end part thereof, a hollow piston rod slidably
inserted in the rod cover and integrally affixed to the piston, a pressure spring
compressed and placed between the piston and rod cover, and always pulling the piston
rod rearward, an injection nozzle affixed to the front end of the piston rod, and
injecting cleaning water while rotating by the injection pressure of the cleaning
water itself, and a poppet valve affixed to the front end of the injection nozzle,
and closing flush a front end opening part of a cylindrical housing extended and mounted
on the front end of the cylinder tube by the pressure spring.
[0005] In the cleaning nozzle of the invention, by injecting the cleaning water into the
cylinder tube, the injec- lion nozzle is pushed out of the mounting plane by the pressure
of the cleaning water, and injects the deaning water while rotating, thereby cleaning
the necessary parts by the cleaning water. When feed of cleaning water is stopped,
the injection nozzle stops injecting the cleaning water, and is at the same time retracted
into the housing, thereby closing the mounting part by the poppet valve.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006]
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of rear parts of the cleaning nozzle of the
invention, showing the non-cleaning time in the top and the cleaning time in the bottom.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of front parts of the cleaning nozzle of the
invention, showing, same as in Fig. 1, the non-cleaning time in the top and the cleaning
time in the bottom.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0007] In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, numeral 1 is a cylindrical cylinder tube having a piston 2
slidably inserted inside by way of a seal member 3, and a piping opening 4 for connection
of cleaning water feed pipe is screw-fitted to the rear end part (the left end part
in Fig. 1), and a cylindrical housing 5 is screw-fitted to the front end part (the
right end part in Fig. 2), and an expanding valve seat 5a is formed at the front end
face of this housing 5. Numeral 6 is a rod cover inserted and fixed inside of the
front end of the cylinder tube 1, and an interval stopper 7 in a cylindrical form
is integrally formed at the rear end face, and the forward position of the piston
2 is defined as the piston 2 abuts against this internal stopper 7. Therefore, the
forward position of the piston 2 may be adjusted by varying the length of the intemal
stopper 7. Numeral 8 is a hollow piston rod slidably inserted in the rod cover 6 by
way of a seal member 9, and the piston 2 is integrally affixed to its rear end part,
and it moves back and forth together with the piston 2. Numeral 10 is a pressure spring
compressed and placed between the piston 2 and the rod cover 6, and it always pulls
backward the piston rod 8 through the piston 2. Numeral 11 is an injection nozzle
mounted on the front end of the piston rod 8, and a rotary head 11b, although not
shown, forming multiple slits toward the tangential direction in the outer circumferential
surface is rotatably disposed on a feed pipe 11 a of the injection nozzle 11, and
the cleaning water flowing into the feed pipe 11 a from the piping opening 4 through
the piston rod 8 is injected from the slits in the rotary head 11 toward the tangential
direction, and the nozzle 11 is rotated in the reverse direction of the injection
direction of the cleaning water by the reaction of the cleaning water injected from
the slits. Numeral 12 is a poppet valve affixed to the front end of the injection
nozzle 11 concentrically with the housing 5, and it is pulled backward by the pressure
spring 10 through piston 2, piston rod 8 and injection nozzle 11 and is pressed tightly
against the valve seat 5a of the housing 5 to be flush with the front end face of
the housing 5, and the front end opening of the housing 5 is closed at the same time.
Numeral 13 is a cylindrical tube stand affixed on an outer wall 14 of particulate
manufacturing equipment, tank, chute or the like so that its inner face and its front
end face may be flush with the outer wall 14, and a cylindrical sleeve 15 is fused
butt to butt to the rear end, and a mounting flange 15a is integrally formed at the
rear end of this cylindrical sleeve 15. Numeral 16 is a mounting flange affixed on
the outer circumferential surface of the housing 5, and the housing 5 is inserted
into the tube stand 13 and cylindrical sleeve 15 so that its front end face may be
flush with the front end face of the tube stand 13, and by fitting into the mounting
flange 15a of the cylindrical sleeve 15 through a clamp 17, the cylinder tube 1 and
housing 5 are attached to the outer wall 14.
[0008] The action of the cleaning nozzle of the invention composed as specified herein is
described below.
[0009] At the time of cleaning, when cleaning water with a specific pressure is fed from
the piping opening 4 into the cylinder tube 1, the piston 2 moves forward, resisting
the pressure spring 10 by the pressure of the cleaning water, and the injection nozzle
11 and poppet valve 12 are pushed out from the front end face of the housing 5 through
the piston rod 8, and the cleaning water is simultaneously passed into the injection
nozzle 11 through the piston rod 8, and the injection nozzle 11 injects cleaning water
while rotating. At this time, the injection nozzle 11 is inserted inside of the particulate
manufacturing equipment, tank, chute or the like in a stroke until the piston 2 abuts
against the internal stopper 7, and the cleaning parts, that is, the inside parts
of the outer wall 14 are cleaned by the cleaning water injected from the slits.
[0010] After the lapse of the time for cleaning the inside of the outer wall 14, when the
feeding of cleaning water into the cylinder tube 1 from the piping opening 4 is stopped,
the injection of cleaning water by the injection nozzle 11 is stopped, and the piston
2 is simultaneously drawn back by the pressure spring 10, and then the injection nozzle
11 and poppet valve 12 are retracted into the housing 5 through the piston rod 8,
and the poppet valve 11 presses against the valve seat 5a of the housing 5, thereby
closing the front end opening part of the housing 5.
[0011] Afterwards, when the compressed air for purging is fed from the piping opening 4
into the cylinder tube 1, same as when the cleaning water is fed mentioned above,
the injection nozzle 11 and poppet valve 12 are pushed out by the pressure of the
compressed air until the piston 2 abuts against the internal stopper 7, and the injection
nozzle 11 injects the compressed air while rotating at the same time. As a result,
the residual cleaning water is purged by the compressed air to dry the inside of the
equipment completely.
[0012] After the time for drying the inside completely, when the supply of compressed air
for purging from the piping opening 4 into the cylinder tube 1 is stopped, same as
when the feed of cleaning water is stopped above, the injection nozzle 11 stops injection
of compressed air, and the injection nozzle 11 and poppet valve 12 are retracted into
the housing 5, and the front end opening part of the housing 5 is closed by the poppet
valve 12. Then, the particulate manufacturing equipment, tank, chute or the like will
treat the particulate material.
[0013] Meanwhile, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment alone, and, for example,
the poppet valve 12 and the valve seat 5a of the housing 5 may contact with a spherical
surface, or by varying the length of the internal stopper 7, the stroke of the injection
nozzle 11 may be adjusted, and furthermore by varying the slit shape, dimensions,
number of slits and other conditions of the injection nozzle 11, the optimum cleaning
condition for the object to be cleaned may be obtained.
[0014] As described herein, the cleaning nozzle of the invention is not projecting from
the inside of the equipment mounting part while not cleaning, and the equipment mounting
part is completely dosed by the poppet valve, and since the inside of the equipment
mounting part is flat, the movement of the particulate material is not impeded even
when the particulate material is treated, and problems of contamination and others
may be avoided.
[0015] In addition, other power is not needed, and the operation completely depends on the
pressure of the cleaning water or compressed airfor purging, it is only enough to
control the automatic valve by on/off switching in controlling, and normal and reverse
actions, and detection of position are not necessary. Therefore, the control is very
easy, and hence human errors are hardly induced.
[0016] Besides, since the injection nozzle is rotated by the injection pressure of the deaning
water itself when cleaning, it is possible to feed in all directions of 360 degrees.
[0017] It is also possible to purge by compressed air, and by purging with a proper pressure
after cleaning, leak of cleaning water in operation of the manufacturing equipment
is avoided.
[0018] When SUS and Teflon are used in the materials of the parts in contact with liquid,
high temperature water close to boiling water which was dangerous in the conventional
manual cleaning can be used, and the cleaning effect is high.
[0019] When operated automatically in a predetermined method by the sequencer or the like,
together with other plural cleaning nozzles, a cleaning effect of an always constant
level may be obtained as compared with the conventional manual cleaning.
[0020] By automatic operation, the cleaning equipment may be installed in a place which
is not easily accessible by the workers.